Desktop components in notebooks catch on

They're hot stuff and Dixons' digs 'em

It's particularly pleased with its KN8360DC model which incorporates a desktop hard drive. Visitors to the Computex trade show in Taiwan though they were witnessing the return of the luggable when they saw the thickness of this baby on KDS' stand, but if you want a neat desktop replacement with 80GB of disk space it might suit you.

The machine is 48mm thick, one centimetre thicker than KDS' models with standard notebook HDDs. It comes with an AMD mobile Duron because there's no way KDS could put in a desktop CPU and keep the box cool, but KDS' other notebooks contain desktop chips and regular notebook hard drives. And it vibrates like a washing machine.

The model on display had a 30GB HDD but if you want 80GB, something you can't get with notebook hard disks, it's an easy upgrade. Dixons, the UK retail giant that owns the PC World superstore chain, likes the kit and is going to start selling them in July under the Advent brand. It probably likes the idea of upselling hard disks.

The base model, with a 600MHz mobile Duron, retails for $999 but KDS thinks Dixons could punt it out at £699. I don't reckon they will.

KDS' desktop processor notebooks use both Intel Celerons and PIIIs. "We have very very good ventilation," said KDS marketing man Eddie Kim.

The range has the codename Sumo. Sumo I is just the straight desktop chip model, and Sumo II supports Firewire and S/PDIF for digital audio output. Dixons likes Sumo I which retails for $1499 with a 1GHz CPU. ®